1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a portable electronic apparatus with a flat display, and more particularly to an arrangement of components in a slim electronic apparatus with a flat display such as an electronic camera with an LCD and a portable information terminal.
2. Description of Related Art
An electronic camera in common use has a liquid crystal display (LCD), which is arranged substantially at the center of the back of a casing of the camera, and a storage medium chamber, to which an external storage medium such as a memory card is detachably inserted, arranged at the side (or the bottom) of the casing. Inside the casing, the LCD and the storage medium chamber are overlapping along the depth of the casing. The conventional electronic camera is hence thick.
Moreover, since the LCD is arranged near a grip part, the LCD is often covered with a hand gripping the grip part, and a part of an image displayed on the LCD cannot be seen. These problems are common to portable electronic apparatuses with flat display parts such as personal digital assistants (PDA).
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a portable slim electronic apparatus with a display, which is easy to see.
To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is directed to a portable electronic apparatus comprising: a casing; a flat display for displaying an image; and a storage medium chamber into which an external storage medium is detachably inserted; wherein the flat display and the storage medium chamber are arranged substantially horizontally in the casing without overlapping along the depth of the casing.
According to the present invention, the flat display and the storage medium chamber are arranged horizontally to thereby reduce the thickness of the portable electronic apparatus.
Preferably, the portable electronic apparatus of the present invention further comprises: a substrate on which the storage medium chamber is fixed; a metal shield member enclosing the storage medium chamber; and a frame member supporting the flat display, the frame member being integrated with the metal shield member and being connected to a ground terminal of the substrate; wherein the flat display is fixed on the substrate through the frame member such that the flat display and the storage medium chamber are arranged at the same side of the substrate.
According to the present invention, the flat display can be fixed to the substrate without using fixing means such as screws or braces, and the substrate can be grounded securely.
An embodiment of the portable electronic apparatus of the present invention further comprises: an imaging device for converting a light from a subject into image data; and a storage medium interface for recording the image data obtained by the imaging device into the external storage medium inserted in the storage medium chamber, and for reading data recorded in the external storage medium; wherein the flat display displays at least one of an image represented by the image data obtained by the imaging device and an image represented by the data read from the external storage medium. In this case, the portable electronic apparatus is preferably characterized in that, when the portable electronic apparatus is seen from a back thereof: the casing has a grip part, to be held by an operator, on the right side thereof; the storage medium chamber is arranged inside the grip part in the casing; and the flat display is arranged at the left side of the storage medium chamber.
According to the present invention, the flat display, the storage medium chamber and the capacitor for the electronic flash can be housed compactly in the casing. This reduces the size and the thickness of the portable electronic apparatus. When seen from a viewpoint of the operator who is holding the grip part with the right hand, the flat display is located at the left part of the back of the casing. Thus, there is little possibility that the flat display will be covered with the right hand, and the image displayed on the flat display is easy to see.